Herbed goat cheese recipe

By request, from the July 2009 spinning night…

Herbed Goat Cheese Dip / Spread
(inspired by a recipe from Epicurious.com, I forget which one, grr!)

10-12 ounces mild goat cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I used mostly tarragon and parsley, with some cilantro, a little bit of basil and a tiny bit of mint)
2-3 green onions, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream

Mix together the goat cheese, chopped herbs, and green onions, adding salt and pepper to taste. In a separate bowl, whisk the heavy cream until slightly thickened, then fold into the goat cheese mixture. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors meld, then bring to room temperature for better spreading consistency.

fibre space in Old Town Alexandria

I think I'm in love. Okay, so I exaggerate, but only just a little bit. Yesterday, I visited the new LYS in Old Town Alexandria, fibre space.

fibre space, 102 N. Fayette St, Old Town Alexandria VA

Unfortunately (shh, don't tell them I said so *wink*), I was accompanied by a non-knitting, visiting-from-out-of-town friend and the bf, so I was limited to a measly one-hour hit-and-run mini-tour. (Seriously though, I am very grateful to both K and G for being relatively patient - an hour must have seemed a lifetime to them!)

Miss Babs 80/20 Merino Silk Top, in Forest Afternoon

On second thought, perhaps that was actually a fortunate thing, because I could have done some severe damage to my wallet if I'd stayed longer! As it is, I'm proud of my restraint - just one skein of the new Spud & Chloe Sweater in the sunny-yellow Firefly colorway and a luxurious 2 oz braid of Miss Babs 80/20 Merino Silk top in colorway Forest Afternoon, all in a reusable shopping tote (which cost an additional $5 and which I ended up giving to my sister because I felt bad for (a) visiting the shop without her and (b) not getting her anything yarn-y).

Spud & Chloe Sweater, in Firefly

The space itself is light-filled and airy, with beautiful hardwood floors and a great open feeling. There is a cozy sit-and-knit nook in the front of the shop, complete with a wide window seat. I'll assume the seating is comfortable, because though I didn't get a chance to sit and knit myself, my companions had no complaints about their comfort level in the "waiting area."

Sit-and-knit nook (note the expression on G's face)

To the side is another sizable room, which I assume will be used as classroom space; there is also a swift and ball-winder available for use in that room. There was also a long row of Miss Babs roving braids hanging from hooks - very pretty! The shop will be carrying some supplies for spinners (though there are no plans as of yet to be a wheel-dealer), and because the owner isn't as well-versed in spinners' needs as she is in knitters' and crocheters' needs, no fewer than two shop employees approached me to ask for suggestions. I appreciated their efforts to meet spinning needs.

Back room / classroom space / spinning fiber wall

The requisite yarn shelves line the walls, of course, but there are also clear shelving units (also filled with yarn) in the middle of the room, which isn't at all obtrusive. To the side, there was a "landing soon" display of soon-to-arrive yarns, which was also a nice touch.

fibre space main area (including clear shelving units)

Right next to the checkout counter, there was a computer with internet access available for on-the-spot Ravelry browsing, a feature that some knitting friends and I had wistfully wished for while visiting another of our favorite local yarn establishments. Danielle, Knit-A-Gogo / fibre space gal herself, explained the placement of the Ravelry station-slash-knit doc area. She wants people to be able to sit down, browse, look for projects - and if they need it, to ask questions to her or whoever else is working behind the counter that day.

Ravelry station / knit doc area / checkout counter

All in all, fibre space shows a great deal of promise - and could potentially become my favorite LYS. I'm definitely looking forward to my next visit!

Just a random lone duck hanging out in a fountain

Dyeing Day Recap (with yarn pics)

Dyeing Day at Shelby's was a blast! I can't remember the last time I've had such all-day fun. Our day started early, when Shelby picked up Laeunie and me at around 9am. We learned a lot about dyes and the dyeing process as we helped our dyeing mentor set up.

Above: Some of the results of dyeing day.

Here are some things we learned:

• The skeined yarn must soak in a solution of lukewarm water and vinegar for at least ten to fifteen minutes. Before painting/dyeing, remove from soaking water and squeeze out excess water.
  
• To make the concentrated dye, dissolve about 1/2 to 1 1/2 teaspoon of dye powder (depending on the container size) in a small amount of boiling water, then add cold water to fill container. This can then be used by diluting some of the concentrated dye with water.
  
• Paintbrushes work well for handpainting large swathes of yarn. Squeeze bottles are messier and less precise, but quicker.

Above: Wrapping up the handpainted yarn with saran wrap.

• Once painted, wrap with the saran wrap, then fold in half, place in microwaveable container, and nuke to set dyes, 3 minutes at a time, for 6 minutes total for a regular skein of sock yarn.
  
• When done, remove from microwave, let cool, and remove from saran wrap. When sufficiently cooled, rinse with clean water, soak in water with some sort of soap product (such as Soak), then rinse again.

Above: The fruits of my labor :o)

• Once used for dyeing with acid dyes, microwave must be dedicated solely to dyeing.
  
• Re-skeining when done makes the color blend easier to visualize.

Above: More yarn porn ;o)

All in all, I learned a great deal - and I've been bitten by the bug! (Not literal bites - that's a whole 'nother story.) I'm tempted to buy dyes and yarn blanks and to acquire a dedicated-to-dyeing microwave. The last thing I need is a new hobby-obsession - must. resist. temptation.

Yes, Shelby, TGIF!

A few months ago, one of my CIF from Ravelry and the Rio knitting meet-up, Shelby, generously offered to host a workshop at her home for us eager-to-learn would-be dyers. Shelby is a talented fiber artist (check out her gorgeous creations in her Etsy shop), and a genuinely sweet individual. As the winter slowly faded and we began to see glimpses of spring, we somehow managed to settle on a date - Saturday, April 18th - for our Dyeing Day.

I can't speak for the rest of the group that'll be descending upon Shelby and her poor family tomorrow, but I know that I've been working myself up into a frenzy of excitement for tomorrow. KDAL be damned (okay, so there's no post about that - yet - but I'll get to it... Eventually.) 'cause I've requested way too much yarn blanks: two superwash merino/nylon fingering-weight, and four superwash merino fingering weight. The merino/nylon blanks will be dyed up for fun (I'm thinking one in shades of yellow/orange, and one will be a surprise), and the four SW merino fingering will be used for a light, v-neck, raglan pullover with 3/4-length sleeves, maybe in pretty shades of blue??

I guess we'll find out... TOMORROW!!

BIG thanks to Shelby for hosting and for being so darn nice! (And for giving the sis and me a ride there :o)

I have a brown thumb...

...but I can turn it green, right?

I've been feeling like a domestic failure lately. Okay, so I'm being overly dramatic. Let me back up and explain.

Compared to my college buddies, I'm the domestic goddess. I cook, I bake, I don't clean, but I knit and spin and collect recipes, sometimes (okay, rarely) even clip coupons, and I love shopping for housewares.

Compared to my Creepy Internet Friends, I'm soooo not a domestic anything, much less a goddess. Yes yes, I still cook, bake, knit, and all those other things I listed above. But I don't bake bread from scratch. In fact, I can't remember the last time I fed my sourdough starter (sorry, Petra! The good news - I just read about baking bread from neglected starter, so there's hope yet! I hope...). I don't make soup from scratch, I don't invent recipes that don't involve pasta, olive oil, and garlic. I don't participate in CSAs (I'm planning to; Red Wiggler, see you next year!). I certainly don't grow my own food. And here's where the brown thumb/green thumb/feeling like a failure comes into play.

In another month or so, G is moving out of the estrogen-filled environment that he calls home and into his own apartment. With a balcony. Woohoo! He's excited because he'll be able to read outside on his balcony; I'm excited because I'll get to have a small container garden on his balcony. (I'm also excited that he'll do the regular watering and everyday maintenance.)

So I asked the lovely Enablers Anonymous ladies for advice and suggestions about what to grow and how. And boy, were they ever helpful (as they always are)! I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, because I have to figure out when/how I can observe the daily sun exposure on that balcony (the current tenants haven't moved out yet) and which plants I want to grow (I'm thinking basil, parsley, cilantro, dill, rosemary, thyme, mint, and cherry tomatoes... Is that too much?) and how one takes care of them.

I've also learned a lot from my CIF. I've learned that starting seedlings from seeds is thriftiest, but I probably want to start with established plants this time and go from there. I've learned that mint is very aggressive and needs its own container. I've learned that I need to add some sort of polymer thingie to the potting mix since I'm not going to be taking care of the plants on a daily basis. (Though let's be honest - G is going to be much better at consistently watering those plants than I would be!)

So now I have to figure stuff out - and G has to move into the darn place - before I can acquire my precious, hope-to-keep-'em-alive babies (thanks, Tonya and Shelby for generously offering me some of your extras!). I've got a month or so, right? That's plenty of time to learn how to turn my brown thumb into green...

Observations

(As posted on Ravelry...)

Things I've realized today while blog-browsing instead of doing Real Work:
(1) I read too many blogs.
(2) I read WAY too many blogs now that I've added about a dozen new ones to my Google Reader.
(3) My favorite blogs have beautiful photos.
(4) I enjoy looking at beautiful photos.
(5) My favorite blogs are my favorite blogs in large part because they have beautiful photos.
(6) I do not take beautiful photos.
(7) Therefore, I/my blog can never become one of my favorites.
(8) It's not like my blog gets regular updates, anyway... Or any updates at all ;o)


(As added by Kate...)

May I add
(9) we all read the same blogs which we quote when someone is looking for advice
(10) my blog was marketing fodder for my first half marathon and the accompanying fundraising. The only reason I don't delete it is because it is funny to read my newbie running entries.
(11) I write lots of blog posts in my head that never make it to blogger.

Agree (1) with #11!

Adventures in fiber heaven, part 4: The Loot

The loot:

Above, from top to bottom: Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino; Cloverleaf Farm merino/tussah roving; Brooks Farm Solana; STR Lightweight, 2 skeins; Tilli Tomas Beaded Silk; Tilli Tomas Demi Plie; Greenbridge Pottery teabag holders.


Above, from top to bottom: Tilli Tomas Beaded Silk; Tilli Tomas Demi Plie; Greenbridge Pottery teabag holders.


Above, from left to right: Brooks Farm Solana; Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino; Cloverleaf Farm merino/tussah roving.

The Fold (Barn 3)
Blue Moon Fiberarts Socks That Rock Lightweight

Below: STR, colorway Highway 30.


Below: STR, colorway Pebble Beach.

Levin & Raja (Barn 3)
Border Leicester half-fleece, opal with fawn tips, 1 1/2 pounds ("Opal")

Tilli Tomas (Main Building)

Below: Beaded Lace, Sahara.

Below: Demi Plie, Natural,

Tess' Designer Yarns (Outside)
Superwash Merino, pale celadon green

Cloverleaf Farm (Main Building)
70/30 Merino/tussah roving, yellow

Greenbridge Pottery (Barn 5)
Teabag holders

Brooks Farm (Outside)
Solana, camouflage green

Adventures in fiber heaven, part 3: Rock stars

Lucky me, I got to return to MdS&W for a second day this year, thanks to The Boy. G assured me that he was joining me on this less-crowded, less-hectic, less-distracted (on my part, theoretically at least) second day because he wanted me to be happy. And that may even have been part of the reason. But I think the major factor was the knowledge that he would have access to roasted lamb products and other delicious fair foods. Whatever the reason, the important thing was that I got to go back.

Brooks Farm Yarns

My main goals were to track down the hand-turned 1-yard niddy noddy that I had regretted not buying the day before and to purchase a matching/coordinating skein of Tilli Tomas Demi Plie lace-weight silk yarn to go with the old gold Tilli Tomas Beaded Lace (colorway Sahara) I'd already bought. Oh, and if I got a chance, to find my Ravelry sticker and to meet the Ravelry rock stars.

Though these goals were at the forefront of my thoughts, my overriding concern was to make sure G would enjoy himself. I already knew my sister, L, would find some way to keep herself entertained, as she had the previous day. I also knew that I'd have to find some way to keep G happy - so that he would assent to making this an annual tradition. The lamb lunch helped (though I think we'll have to try different vendors next time to find the one that's just right). So did looking at all the different animals (who knew there were so many different breeds of sheep, G sure didn't, until S&W!).

At first, I was concerned about G and his level of enjoyment, which diminished my level of full enjoyment somewhat. However, I was soon distracted by whatever remained at my favorite booths - and by the booths that I hadn't had a chance to visit the day before. Unfortunately, the niddy-noddy I'd noticed was all gone, but I did manage to score some Tilli Tomas lace-weight. Unfortunately, no Ravelry sticker - but yes Ravelry rock stars! See?

All in all, it was a pretty successful day. Now only have to wait one more year 'til the next one!

Adventures in fiber heaven, part 2: Opal, etc.

In the next part of my adventure, I came thisclose to buying a sheep. Well, not exactly. There was really no question that I wouldn't be leaving with a new living, breathing pet. Again, I exaggerate.

As we drove to the Howard County Fairgrounds, I had semi-jokingly commented to my companions that a main goal was to avoid leaving with any purchase that breathed. Well, I came closer than I'd anticipated to not meeting that goal.

After we left The Fold, clutching our precious STR loot, my sister L and I stumbled upon the Levin & Raja booth, which was piled high with plastic bags filled with fleeces. The very nice Betty Levin took the time to chat with us about them. She took the time to teach us a little bit about shopping for fleeces, spreading out a pale blue flat sheet and pulling out a very pretty silver-and-tan fleece for inspection.

She explained that she would not return to S&W next year because of training for sheepdog trials, but that if any of her clients wanted to purchase fleeces from her in the future, they had only to call and ask - she keeps meticulous records and notes of every single fleece she's ever sold. Though tempted by the pretty silver-tan fleece, I demurred and returned outside to meet K and T as they rejoined us.

Once I caught a glimpse of K's new acquisition - 6 skeins of deep red Tilli Tomas Demi Plie lace-weight silk for The Shawl - I became determined to visit the Tilli Tomas booth... After getting the girls' advice re: the fleece.

Above: Opal - Border Leicester fleece from Levin & Raja. Opal with fawn tips.

We engaged Betty in another extensive conversation, this time about the ewe from which the fleece had been sheared. She spoke about the sheep as if she were a much-loved pet, so T asked her name. With a confused look, Betty said, "Y33." She concluded with a set of rough instructions for post-purchase fleece handling. Essentially, I would have to wash the fleece, then card it into spin-ready shape, both activities I haven't tried before.

Well, long story short, I am blessed to be friends with sincere enablers, so of course I walked away with the gorgeous 1-1/2 pound opal Border Leicester half-fleece with fawn tips. I figured (and K agreed) that 22 bucks was a small price to pay for a valuable learning experience. (Betty must have known she had me when she saw us approach her booth for a second time. )

Clutching my impulse buy, I approached the Main Building with my friends. As I read the accompanying index card aloud, with its "opal" color designation, my friends suggested naming the fleece "Opal." And so Opal she became.

Our next stop was the Tilli Tomas booth. As I walked, my head swiveled from side to side and my eyes darted around frantically as I drank in the sights and sounds of the festival. The Tilli Tomas booth was, predictably, crowded. I entrusted Opal to K as L and I plunged into the fray.

Above: Tilli Tomas Beaded Lace in Sahara.

I spoke with the proprietress (Tracy, I think her name is) about a non-beaded silk lace to match the blue of the Beaded Lace in exclusive Stitch DC colorway Equality. She didn't have any, but offered to dye up a batch for me - and to give me the special festival price of 10 bucks a skein (a true bargain!).

An agreement having been reached, I returned to my perusal of the booth. L immediately selected a very pretty pink skein of Rock Star (a steal at $25), while I, predictably, oscillated between various colorways and yarns. Ultimately, I selected a pale gold-ish Beaded Lace (colorway Sahara). (I would return the following day to purchase a non-beaded silk lace in a natural color to mix & match with the beaded Sahara.)

Above: Tilli Tomas Beaded Lace in Sahara on the left, Demi Plie in Natural on the right.

Then it was back outside to some of the outdoor vendors. First up was a favorite of mine, Tess' Designer Yarns. I discovered Tess' last year, attracted initially by the crowds swarming like bees to honey, then captivated fully by the riot of soft, subtle colors painted onto soft, touchable yarns. Heaven, indeed.

This year, I was less overwhelmed by the booth (then again, I was less overwhelmed in general), and wasted no time zeroing in on exactly what I wanted - a long, luscious skein of pale celadon green Superwash Merino. I had to fight off a couple of equally determined fiber enthusiasts to get to it, but I managed. Okay, so "fighting off" didn't really involve any aggression or even a hint of violence, just a firm statement of my desire to purchase the last skein of that yarn in that color. It was totally fair; I spotted it first, I got to it first. And I was polite. (L & T pointed out a few tiny spots of bright yellow hidden deep within the skein of pale green, but as that was the last available one, I decided I could live with those imperfections. Small flaws add character, right? Especially the unobtrusive ones.)

Above: Tess' Designer Yarns Superwash Merino.

After Tess', we moved across the way to Misty Mountain Farm - another favorite and the site of my final purchase last year, an impulse buy of super soft natural-colored merino roving. After purchasing my Opal, I didn't really feel a burning desire to purchase more fiber. After purchasing my Tilli and my Tess, I didn't really feel a burning desire to purchase more yarn. So I browsed. And I looked. And I stood in line whilst K shopped. (It was only fair, especially after my buddies had stood in line for me at Tess'. Turn and turn about's fair play, or however the saying goes.)

When K and I blinked our way out from under the tent into the emerging sunlight, we found L had returned from a quick trip to the Ribbon Chips booth, bearing a very welcome gift - food! I highly recommend Ribbon Chips, a plate piled high with thinly sliced ribbons of potatoes, quickly deep-fried into crispy goodness and topped with the works - melted nacho cheese, cool sour cream, snipped chives, bright bacon bits, and pickled jalapenos. Pure deliciousness. The four of us devoured our little mid-day, pre-lunch snack.

We then decided it was time to make a quick pre-lunch return trip to the car to drop off our loot, with a quick detour at J's Court to say hello. We walked through the Rabbit Building, where the Ravelry meet-up was scheduled to take place. It was packed with bodies, everyone eagerly waiting for a Ravelry royalty appearance. Speak of the devil, as we approached the Western Ravelers' home base, we encountered a pleasant surprise - a glimpse of the Ravelry celebs (Ravelebs??) themselves, just as they were departing J's Court. As we readied ourselves for our stroll back to the car, we saw a trio of women carrying Ravelry tote bags filled with Ravelry buttons and descended upon them en masse. (As it turns out, we were lucky to get to them when we did, because all 700 buttons were gone in no time.)

Once we'd deposited our purchases thus far in the trunk of K's car (cracking open Opal's bag so she could breathe) and downed some cold lemonade (thanks to K's forethought), we returned to the festival for lunch. We settled our butts onto a patch of grass by Barn 1, positioning ourselves strategically close but not too close to the performance stage to munch on our lunches. (I thoroughly enjoyed my sliced lamb sandwich, yum! And no, I suffer no qualms or twinges of guilt about cooing over cute lil woolly lambs and then turning around and eating a lamb lunch.)

Above: Cute little Scottish Blackface lambs.

Speaking of, there were many, many adorable sources of fiber-y goodness.

There were cute little lambs...

Above: These particular 6-week-old lambs hopped around - literally!

And there were goats...

And there were alpacas...

Above: A pair of alpacas, whispering sweet nothings to each other... And laughing??

There were also llamas and rabbits, but I didn't take pictures of those. I didn't even see the bunny rabbits this year - where were they?? I was tempted to come home with one last year... Good thing I didn't though, Mom would've flipped out, the dog would've gotten over-excited, and the house would be filled with bits of fluff, at which point it would've been Dad's turn to flip out.

But I digress. After lunch, we wandered through the vendor-filled barns and then returned to the Main Building, where I sought out a couple of spindle-makers: Golding and Journey Wheels. I gave a Bosworth Midi spindle a, well, spin, but opted against adding to my spindle collection this time around.

I also checked out some of the niddy noddies that were available for purchase, including the ubiquitous Ashford, Louet, and Kromski. At The Spinnery booth, I was attracted to a 1-yard niddy noddy hand turned by artisan/craftsman Michael Holcomb. I moved on, however, thinking I wanted a longer skein. (Before long, I would come to regret not snatching up one of these beauties when I had the chance.)

Above: Michael Holcomb hand turned niddy noddy at The Spinnery.

T and L got to step into the role of enablers (again), when K, intending to play enabler, led me to the Cloverleaf Farms booth. There, she pointed out the lovely braids of merino/tussah blend roving. I had a hard time selecting my favorite among the shades of blues, violets, and greens. Finally, I settled on the lemon-gold yellow, after K expressed interest in the same colorway as well. We decided to conduct a "scientific" experiment: she would spin her braid of sunny yellow 70/30 merino/tussah roving on her wheel, while I would spin mine on my drop spindle. And that turned out to be my last purchase of the day.

By the time 2:30pm rolled around, all of us were dragging a bit. Even so, we wove our way around some of the outdoor booths we'd overlooked previously before finally making our way back to the car around 3:30 or thereabouts. Of course, we had to stop by J's Court to pay our respects and share our MdS&W loot before taking our leave.

And thus ended - quite successfully - Day 1 at the 2008 Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

Adventures in fiber heaven, part 1: Intro to MdS&W'08

My entire body feels like it's been thoroughly beaten. Eight hours of mucking about with domesticated animals will do that to a girl. I am truly exhausted... But I am also truly content! This weekend was my second annual birthday celebration, aka the Maryland Sheep & Wool Festival.

Okay, back up a bit. So I wasn't exactly mucking about. It was more like me, strolling about the Howard County Fairgrounds, drinking in the sights, fondling the soft things, and doling out the cash in exchange for said soft things. Oh, and eating. I was in heaven.

Last year was my first trip to S&W. In retrospect, I'm glad my first time was alone. (Okay, on some level, that sounds totally wrong. And weird. But anyway...) I was there from around 8:30am until around 5:30pm, walking around, gazing around, mostly in a daze, buying a few things here and there, touching more than a few things here and there. I gradually familiarized myself with the atmosphere, the layout, and the sheer spectacle, slowly but surely. And that one day was enough. Sort of.

Fast forward to 2008. This year, I was at S&W both days. A full weekend of fiber-y goodness. What a way to celebrate my (gulp) 28th birthday, right?

Saturday was the serious day - serious exploration, serious shopping. I went with a couple of knitting friends from Ravelry (and my local meet-up), K and T, and my sister L, leaving the house around 7:30am and arriving at the Fairgrounds by 8:30am. We lucked out and got a great parking spot relatively close to the entrance, perfect for a mid-day trip back to the car to deposit Treasure, part 1.

Above: Standing in line at The Fold with an arm "full" of STR... In the spirit of full disclosure, Two of those skeins of STR are T's. I felt inadequate with my single skein, so she let me borrow hers for the photo.

Almost as soon as we began walking towards the entrance, we spotted another fellow Raveler, J. J was set up literally across the (goat) path from the entrance. And I do mean set up. Her vehicle, sporting a large "Western Maryland Ravelers" banner, occupied one parking space, and right behind it was a circle of folding camp chairs, where J lounged comfortably, holding court. J and her contingent had arrived at 6:30am, early enough to stake their claim to the small plot of prime real estate they called home base. I was in awe. I wasn't even snoozing the alarm clock at 6:30am, much less awake, on the road, or at the Fairgrounds! Consider me duly impressed; J is officially one of my heroes.

As it turns out, I was the only anal, obsessive one in my little group to have done extensive research and created a (mostly) comprehensive Excel spreadsheet - sorted alphabetically and geographically! - of this year's vendors. I had a sort-of plan of attack, but somehow, after I'd mentioned stumbling across and photographing the perennial line at The Fold the previous year, we ended up at their booth.

Above: Standing in line at The Fold.

At 8:30am, there was not yet a line to get into the booth to explore the three makeshift walls filled with skeins of STR, only a line to pay for the loot. I didn't see any harm in just looking, so T and I entered the booth while K and L staked out a place in the pay line. I was remarkably restrained, thoughtfully selecting a single skein of the STR Lightweight, in colorway Pebble Beach, after rejecting Farmhouse, which I'd admired & coveted on the Blue Moon Fiber Arts website some months before. Meanwhile, T selected a couple of semi-solid skeins of the Heavyweight. As we waited for the clock to strike 9 o'clock, the registers to open, and the shopping to begin, we agreed that K and T would explore some of the options for lace yarn (for K's wedding shawl) while L photographed livestock and I waited in line.

Above: Some of the many reasons for the increasing-by-the-minute line at The Fold.

As I waited, I had the opportunity to observe the S&W world around me... And my jaw dropped as I witnessed the incredible line of people waiting to purchase t-shirts. It just went on and on and on and on...

Above: T-shirt line, Building 1.

Later on, I read on Ravelry that some people waited a couple of hours to get their t-shirts! I was glad I hadn't been one of those people, not that I would have been, for the very simple reasons that (a) I'm not deeply committed to t-shirts that are emblazoned with logos, brand names, slogans, etc (other than college t-shirts, those are the exception to the rule); and (b) I don't relish standing in line. Oh, and (c) my preference would be to save the money for more fiber-y goodness. Different strokes :o)

Above: More STR.

Back to my line. As I waited to get to the register, my sister waltzed in for a look-see and added another skein of STR to my "pile" (of one). STR skein #2: Highway 30. I debated the merits of the two colors until L came up with a Solomon-esque suggestion to purchase both. Pure genius! I congratulated myself for my restraint (while simultaneously fighting down a surge of envy) as I glanced around me at women whose arms were filled with skein upon skein of STR. My sister, in the meantime, selected a skein of the Heavyweight in colorway Brick, a semi-solid red that she declared to be the epitome of "Nantucket red."

Above: My STR purchases; Highway 30 on the left, Pebble Beach on the right.

We finished up at The Fold before 9:30am, so L and I strolled through Barn 3... And so continued my adventures in wool.